A MEDIEVAL NIGHTMARE
by ULYFERAL
Summary: The Pastmaster gets lucky and tosses the SWAT Kats and Commander Feral into the past. The three have to work together to return to the future. Forced to use ancient tools and methods to repair the Turbokat, they also learn what it's like to live in ancient times.
1. Chapter 1

**A MEDIEVAL NIGHTMARE**

Chapter 1: The Curse

He woke in pain. His stomach wanted to heave. 'What had happened to him?' There wasn't a part of him that didn't hurt...badly. He was huddled in a heap on a hard floor.

"Cease! Move not! Hurt more it will!" Warned a raspy voice with a strange accent somewhere nearby.

The tall, powerfully built Kat moaned as he struggled to see where the voice was coming from but the movement made his head spin. His stomach clenched and in the next moment he was heaving his guts out.

He shuddered as the vomiting finally abated and left him breathless and in even more pain. He slumped back down to the floor. "Who are you?" His voice barely a rough whisper.

"A prisoner, as are you. More than that, I know not." The raspy voice said heavily. "Know this, being still will help. Moving will be terrible. Sorry I be that I can not offer thee any ease for thy pain."

"S'll right. Handled worse." He muttered. 'Though I can't remember when.' He thought privately keeping his eyes shut tight.

He tried to ignore the agony that any movement caused and the smell of vomit near his nose. He listened to his surroundings but all he could hear were crickets, the movement of trees in the wind and a far off dripping noise. Nearby was the sound of heavy breathing, his cellmate obviously.

"How long have I been here." He queried the other needing to gather information.

"T'was midday when thee were tossed herein, night tis now. Was uncertain thee were living till I saw thy chest did move." The other answered heavily. He apparently shifted because Feral could hear a soft scuff against the floor.

Moving cautiously, Feral tried to get into a more comfortable position. A sob of agony was wrenched from him at the searing pain that ran from his neck to his feet. He lay absolutely still, tears running down his face, his breathing sharp and jerky.

"Aii, still I told thee, pain worse when moving. Tis a fearsome thing for some time to come. Be still!" The voice urged in concern, suddenly sounding closer, its owner having moved nearer to him.

He'd give anything to just be unconscious right now. The pain was unrelenting and there was absolutely nothing to distract him from it. A more horrible torture he couldn't imagine.

_Elsewhere..._

"Crud! How the heck did we get here and where is here?" T-Bone groaned trying to move but gasped when hot needles of pain flashed through his body. He panted trying to catch his breath and held himself very still. He dully realized he was on a hard, dirty stone floor.

"Ohhh...gods my head! Keep your voice down will ya!" Came his partner's agony filled voice somewhere nearby.

It was dark where they were and cold. The room had a window where nighttime could be seen but there was no moon to shed any light. 'How had they gotten here?' The tabby tom wondered, trying to distract himself from the intense pain.

In a softer voice, T-Bone asked, "Hey buddy what's the last thing you remember?"

"Uhh...hard to think...too much pain!" Razor moaned. "Think we were fighting Pastmaster then nothing." He finally managed to say.

"Yeah that's sorta what I remember too." T-Bone muttered in agreement. He struggled to move toward the small window to try and see where they were but the pain soared again with the movement and brought a cry of agony from his lips. He moaned and lay still. All he heard were night creatures and his partner's groans that matched his own.

_A huge castle gleamed in the early morning light..._

"And you say you found these metal things in your field?" A beautiful female asked a poorly dressed old Kat.

"Yes, my Queen. A fearsome noise they made...falling from the sky...shook the ground. My family be frighted and hid until all was quiet. We came out and saw them." The Kat said fearfully turning his battered hat in his paws.

"I thank thee for bringing this to my attention. Lead us to thy land and I and my knights will follow thee." The Queen commanded rising from her throne, signaling the Commander of her Knights to follow.

Riding side saddle the Queen rode with her knights quickly out the castle gates. The old farmer rode in front of her Commander. He had pointed out the direction to his farm and was now holding onto the saddle cantle for dear life.

A half hour of hard riding they came upon a stunning sight. A strange metal creature sat in a hole of its own making, smoke drifted from inside it. Not far from this was a familiar metal flying machine.

"Why it's Sir T-Bone and Sir Razor's flying device!" Queen Callista exclaimed.

"It is indeed, my Queen but there seems no sign of its occupants." Her Commander said in concern.

"Aye, thee are right, Lord Ferlin. That concerns me deeply. It appears the Pastmaster has done them evil yet again. The other machine must come from their world as well and its occupant is also missing." The Queen said pursing her lips in consternation.

"Do thee want me to start a search, my Queen?" Lord Ferlin asked looking around.

"Aye, take as many knights as thy need and quickly. I fear time is against us." She said worriedly.

He nodded in acknowledgment then carefully put the farmer back on the ground. "Touch not the metal things and let not any of thy kin get to near." He warned the Kat. The farmer nodded fearfully and ran to his home just past the wreckage.

Staring at the wondrous machines from the future a few minutes longer, the Queen sighed then turned her horse around and with a few knights as escort hurried back to her castle.

_A Dark Cell somewhere..._

When morning came, Feral was unaware of it. It hurt to much to open his eyes. The pain had eased to a dull ache as long as he didn't dare to move. His cellmate touched his face carefully.

"Are thee aware now?" He asked softly.

"Yesss." He answered, to exhausted to say anymore than that. He had never endured such pain like this before nor for soo long. His bladder was making urgent demands and he was afraid to move. 'How humiliating.' He thought blearily.

Swallowing hard, he prepared himself to move his body. He raised his head slowly and was rewarded with a knife-like pain slicing through his body causing him to wet himself. Clenching his teeth he lay back down and panted.

"Thy should be able to move now but thee seems to be more hurt than I thought." The voice muttered in concern.

'Really? I wouldn't have guessed!' Feral said to himself sarcastically unable to unclench his teeth to answer verbally and thoroughly embarrassed for his loss of control.

_Another Cell elsewhere..._

The sun shone through the small window and fell over T-Bone's prone form. He squinted at the bright light but couldn't move out of the brightness. Every attempt he made brought with it unbelievable pain.

He thought blearily that whoever had them prisoner didn't need to worry about locking the door. There was no way he or Razor were going to be able to get to their feet. Pain made a better jailor than he ever thought possible.

He could hear his partner making the same attempts and with the same results. It was horrible just lying here with no way to get up and no idea where they were and who held them prisoner.

As the day passed, no one came to check on them. It was almost as if they had been completely forgotten and thirst was becoming almost as bad a torture as the pain.


	2. Chapter 2

**A MEDIEVAL NIGHTMARE **

Chapter 2: The Rescue

_At the castle..._

"My Queen" Lord Ferlin shouted as he charged into the hall, breathless and bursting with news.

"Have thee found them?" She asked anxiously jumping to her feet.

"I am not certain, but I hope so, my Queen! It reached my ears about an old abbey with new residents. Those that had witnessed them say the strangers wore odd clothing and were carried there by horrible troll-like creatures. These creatures were seen entering the abbey with the strangers but leaving without them." Lord Ferlin reported.

"It does sound as if thee has located our visitors from the future. Fetch my horse, we ride quickly to this abbey and pray they are still alive." The Queen ordered striding across the hall for the great doors.

Very quickly they were mounted up and racing north for the abandoned abbey. It took them some forty-five minutes to reach the old stone building. The Queen waited while her knights determined if it was safe for her to enter. After a cautious reconnaissance they signaled an 'all clear' to the Queen.

She dismounted quickly and strode across the overgrown courtyard and made her way inside. Lord Ferlin stayed close by her side as they investigated the interior. There were signs that the abbey had been abandoned for many years. Animals had left their mark and storms had deposited a great deal of rubbish everywhere but surprisingly the building was still sturdy and sound. They passed through the sacristy and on into the old cells where the monks lived. Most of them were filled with dust and debris all except for two.

When they opened the first one with occupants they beheld a peasant dressed in dirty, ragged clothing who bowed immediately upon seeing the Queen and not far from him a stranger dressed in unusual clothing. Though dirty and torn with a reek of urine the material was grey and blue and they were being worn by a huge Kat curled in agony on the floor. He wore a grey coat and long black boots as well.

Feral heard the voices but was unable to call out. His cellmate apparently was too terrified and had retreated to a corner of the cell. He prayed that whoever it was, they weren't the ones who had imprisoned them.

When the door swung open he forced his eyes open a slit but could only see their feet. Someone was wearing a pair of dusty boots and brown leggings and the other pair of legs was wearing a dress that hid her feet. The dress knelt down near his face.

"Sir, can thee hear me?" A beautiful female voice asked.

"Yes!" He managed to gasp out. "So much pain...please make it stop!" He begged, desperate to have an end to his agony.

"One moment more while I see what causes thy pain." She said softly in concern and pity. Holding up her magical amulet she passed its light over his body. To her horror she detected a very nasty spell.

"Tis an evil spell and t'will take me some moments to break. Please be patient but a little longer sir." She said as she rose to her feet and concentrated. Once she had the words of the counterspell firmly in her mind, she held up her amulet again and muttered the words to break the curse laid on Feral.

Feral felt a warmth pour over him that slowly pulled the pain away from his body. It seemed to take a very long time but minutes later he gave a grateful moan of relief. He pushed his body carefully to a seated position for the first time in hours and without pain.

He looked up at a duplicate of Ms. Briggs and gaped. It wasn't Callie he knew that but the resemblance was uncanny. It certainly explained the fascination Pastmaster had for Briggs.

"I don't know how to thank you. I've never experienced pain like that in my life. I hadn't been able to move for hours." Feral said humbly to the beautiful she-kat standing over him.

"Thee are most welcome, sir. Do thee know how thee came to be here?" She asked.

"Sorry, I woke up here with no idea how I'd gotten here." Feral said shaking his head.

"What is the last thing thee remembers?" She pressed.

"Uh...Well the SWAT Kats were engaging the Pastmaster and I was trying to take out the creep from behind and that's the last I remember." Feral said rubbing his head.

"Ah so thee are on the side of good as Sir T-Bone and Sir Razor. What be thy name, sir?" The Lady said.

With the help of a fellow as tall as himself, Feral regained his feet. He felt very stiff but at least he could stand without assistance.

"My name is Commander Ulysses Feral, ma'am and might I ask who you are?" He asked his rescuer politely.

"I am called Callista, Queen of Megalith City." She responded.

"Megalith City!!!! Then I'm in the past and the SWAT Kats were telling the truth when they said they had met you." Feral said in shocked amazement.

"Aye, they did indeed visit my time once. But come Commander, we need to find them for they are most likely here as well." She said urgently turning to exit the door and walk down the corridor once more.

Feral followed slowly and watched as the Queen's guards opened every door. He noticed that there were many doors similar to the one he'd been in. "Where are we?" He asked.

"This is an old abbey and these are the cells the monks did their devotions in but it has been abandoned these many years." The Queen answered.

"My Queen, they are here!" A knight called further down the hall.

They hurried forward to the now open door and stared in. The afternoon sun fell across the one known as Sir T-Bone. Laying not far from him was Sir Razor. It was obvious they were suffering from the same curse that she had just lifted from Commander Feral.

This would drain her badly but she didn't hesitate as she stepped in the room and stood between the two warriors. Raising her amulet she muttered the counterspell and a warmth flooded the pair. Moments later as the Queen slumped in exhaustion and was held by Lord Ferlin, the SWAT Kats were finally able to roll to a seated position.

"Queen Callista!" T-Bone said his voice still hoarse from his screams.

"Aye Sir T-Bone. So glad we were able to find thee in time." Callista said wanly. "Forgive me but reversing the curse on the three of thee has severely drained my energy. Let us return to my castle where we may talk and recover." She commanded.

"Sounds great and thank you for aiding us." Razor said moving carefully to his feet.

"Uh...what did you mean by the three of us?" T-Bone asked as he too climbed awkwardly to his feet and walked slowly to the door of their prison.

"She would be referring to me, SWAT Kat." Feral rumbled nodding at them as he moved slowly to follow in the Queen's wake.

"Feral!!! How the heck did you get here?" T-Bone said in shock as he matched the Commander's slow gait. Razor came up on the Commander's other side and eyed him in surprise. Both of them wrinkling their noses at the pungent scent coming off him.

"Caught the same way you were obviously." Feral grunted. "Save the explanations for later...too tired to talk now." He said exhaustion making his deep voice rougher.

"Good idea." Razor agreed. It was taking all his concentration to put one foot in front of the other. The pain had left them all drained and exhausted.

By the time they reached the castle, the three warriors from the future could not stand on their own. The ride on horse back having taken their last bit of strength. The Queen's knights helped them into the keep and on up the stairs to quarters that were hurriedly prepared for them. Each received a much needed bath and Feral's pants were taken to be cleaned much to his relief.

After being given plenty of water and food they collapsed onto soft beds and slept as if dead. It was not surprising that they and the Queen slept the clock around until mid afternoon of the next day.

Finally refreshed though still a bit stiff, Feral and the SWAT Kats were escorted to the main hall for a midday meal with the Queen.

Even though the pepper pot stew was hot and very spicy, they dug in ravenously and drank copious amounts of milk. Pleasantly stuffed, the Queen gestured for them to follow her to her private study. They sat down on comfortably stuffed wooden seats covered with beautiful tapestry needlework.

Feral admired it a moment before sitting and turning his attention to his host. The SWAT Kats took a pair of seats not far from the Queen. A warm fire was crackling in the huge stone hearth.

Lord Ferlin also joined them but decided to stand, leaning against the fireplace and watching the visitors with fascination.

"Now, I would like to hear how this calamity befell thee." Callista commanded.

They looked at each other a moment before Feral decided to start first.

"The Pastmaster had shown up in Megakat City in his usual abrupt style. Though instead of dinosaurs he flew in on some kind of gargoyle like creature and as usual he made a grab for Ms. Briggs who bears an uncanny likeness to you, Queen Callista. The SWAT Kats and my enforcers engaged him in an aerial battle but this time something odd happened. I was attacking him from the rear when a strange orange glow hit my chopper. I remembered a flash of pain then nothing more until I awoke in that cell." Feral finished.

T-Bone stared at Feral in surprise. Normally the big tom would avoid mentioning them in a sentence and always played up his enforcers part in any action but this time he went simply with the facts at hand. It was strangely refreshing and odd at the same time.

"We didn't know about Commander Feral's attack but T-Bone and I were trying our best to take out that ugly little gnome when just like Feral we were struck by an orange light. Everything's a blank after that except for the cell and the horrible pain. What caused that?" Razor asked.

"The Pastmaster cast an evil spell upon thee. It causes severe pain in those it is laid upon. Any movement the victim makes causes the pain to intensify. Because of that, they are unable to eat or rest and eventually die. It is a truly horrible spell." Callista said with a shudder.

"Woah! Good thing you found us then! I've never hurt like that in my whole life and I hope never to again." T-Bone said fervently. The other two nodded their heads in agreement.

"I too am very glad but now we must discuss how to return thee to thy rightful place in the future. Alas, I used a great deal of energy to break the spell over thee. It will take me at least a week to regain my strength to send thee back." She said unhappily.

"A week! Crud! What are we going to do during that time?" T-Bone said looking around at the others for an idea.

"I would suggest we find the Turbokat and see what kind of damage she's suffered." Razor said firmly.

"I'd like to know what happened to my chopper as well." Feral added.

"There I can help thee. Thy machines were found not more than half an hours ride from here. If thee would like, Lord Ferlin would be happy to take you there. I will give thee horses to take thee back there if thee are recovered enough for the trip." Callista informed them.

"Great! Thank god they made it through with us and thanks for the offer. I don't know about the others but I for one want to see what shape our jet is in." Razor said, relieved.

"I'm okay. I agree, let's go see what the jet and chopper looks like." T-Bone said eagerly.

"I too wish to go. However, I do have a couple of questions for you, Queen Callista." Feral said politely.

"Of course, Commander. Ask." She answered smiling warmly.

"Do you know how we got to that abbey from our machines and what happened to my cellmate?" He asked.

"It was reported that some strange creatures were carrying strangers to the abbey. We simply followed up on that lead. More than that we don't know." She answered quietly. "As for the peasant found in thy cell with thee, I questioned him. He had sought shelter in the abbey and was trapped there by thy captors. I have given him a position here in thanks for his care of thee."

"I see. Thank you, your majesty." Feral murmured happy the peasant was being cared for.

"Thee may go now. Lord Ferlin will take care of thee and lead thee there. I hope thy machines are not too badly damaged although the strange machine that I assume is thy own Commander appeared to have suffered the most damage from its arrival. I will see thee all at evening meal." She waved them out.

They nodded in grateful acknowledgment and followed Lord Ferlin out. He lead them to the castle stables.


	3. Chapter 3

**A MEDIEVAL NIGHTMARE**

Chapter 3: Living in Medieval Times

"Hast though been on horses before?" Lord Ferlin asked as he led them down rows of powerful looking war horses.

"Uhh...I've never been on a horse." T-Bone said staring nervously at the big animals.

"I've ridden before!" Feral said confidently admiring the creatures who stared at them in curiosity.

"Yeah, I rode on them when I was younger but nothing this large." Razor said looking the animals over.

"These be known as Shire horses. Strongest, fastest, and most gentle of the horses bred in these times." Lord Ferlin said proudly caressing the back of a great black stallion with white socks. "Now let me think. For Sir T-Bone, I believe a sturdy pony mayhap be something a novice can safely handle. For Sir Razor perhaps a pony as well since thy experience was with a smaller breed. What are thee used to, Commander?" Lord Ferlin asked as he had a serf bring out the horses he'd selected as well as his own.

"Hmm. It has been a while since I've ridden. I can ride one of these but would like one with a moderate temper perhaps?" He said musingly.

"I have just the one for you. Bring out the grey spotted stallion." He ordered another serf.

Two brown shaggy ponies, the black stallion and a grey spotted stallion were brought into the yard outside the stables. The serfs put on saddles and bridles while the three watched.

Lord Ferlin approached one of the ponies. "Here Sir T-Bone this is a very gentle pony. Thee should have no problems riding him.

T-Bone eyed the creature dubiously. "Here allow me to assist thee." Lord Ferlin said in mild amusement. He held the pony's head reins and waited for T-Bone to mount up.

"T-Bone just grab the cantle, put your foot in the stirrup and push upward swinging your leg over the rump. Here watch me." Razor said as he gracefully mounted the other pony with ease.

Taking a breath, the tabby kat tried to copy his friend. He managed to push himself up onto the pony only to slide off the other side.

Feral who had already mounted his stallion laughed uproariously.

His face burning with embarrassment, T-Bone tried again. This time he made it onto the saddle and got his feet firmly into the stirrups. Lord Ferlin handed him the reins and gave him a quick lesson on how to control and steer the pony. Swallowing hard and nodding his understanding, T-Bone sat nervously on the animal. It sensed his uneasiness and began to act up. It pulled on the reins hard and cantered off toward a patch of tasty new grass. Poor T-Bone was left helplessly going along for the ride.

Razor rode up beside him. "T-Bone, you have to show him whose boss. Hold the reins firmly and pull back when he does something you don't want him to do." He instructed his partner to the accompaniment of Feral's continuing gales of laughter.

Riding up to their side, Feral smirked, "Not so hot when you're on the ground are you?"

T-Bone gritted his teeth. "Not my fault I was born a city kat. Only horse I ever saw was on TV."

"If we are ready, let us depart." Lord Ferlin said coming up beside them. He kicked his horse into a light canter. The others followed. Razor stayed close to T-Bone.

They had just passed through the castle gates when T-Bone's pony whinnied in excitement at being out and took off. T-Bone held on grimly and tried pulling on the reins but he pony had other things in mind. It galloped off into the nearby forest with the others galloping hard in his wake.

Lord Ferlin and Feral finally caught up to the pony and blocked its escape with the bodies of the larger horses. T-Bone sat trembling. "I think it best if thy friend holds the reins and leads this rather rambunctious mount. It has obviously not been ridden in some time and is anxious for a run." Lord Ferlin said thoughtfully and handed the reins to Razor who had finally caught up to them.

Hugely embarrassed, T-Bone could only sit and let Razor lead the pony as they followed Lord Ferlin in a westerly direction from the castle. On the way, they saw small farms with peasants working their fields.

They finally reached the small farm where their jet and chopper had landed. T-Bone was grateful to climb off the pony. His rear was sore from the jouncing ride. Razor tethered both their mounts to a nearby tree. Feral and Lord Ferlin did the same.

They walked through the high grass stopping at the chopper first. It lay on its side, the canopy was shattered, the landing gear collapsed and the main rotor bent. It was damaged beyond repair. Feral gave a groan of disgust at the sight.

"Hmm, guess we'll have to dismantle it and load it aboard the Turbokat." Razor said musingly shaking his head at the damage.

"Why? It's worthless." Feral said in surprise.

"We can't leave anything made in the future behind, Commander. It could contaminate our timeline." Razor told him seriously.

"Oh! You have a point. Alright I'll get started taking it apart. There are tools aboard." Feral sighed in agreement.

"You?!!" T-Bone snorted in surprise.

"I wasn't always a Commander, SWAT Kat. I had to start at the bottom like everyone else and I was mechanically inclined so I did a lot of my own repairs." Feral snapped.

"Huh, will wonders never cease." Taking a dig at Feral for the laughter earlier. Feral just growled at him. Smirking T-Bone turned to his partner, "Right, you got it then, Commander. Come on Razor let's see if the Turbokat came through unscathed."

They left the Commander to begin his work and walked to where the jet was parked. Walking around examining it the only external damage seemed to be to the landing gear and some scratches and dings all over the body.

They signaled the canopy to open then hopped into it to do a systems check. Lord Ferlin watched the activity with avid interest. Since he would be in the way in the jet he wandered back over to where Feral, coat, tie removed and sleeves rolled up, was already working on the main rotor blade trying to unbolt it.

"May I offer my assistance, Commander?" He asked.

Looking down, Feral thought a moment then nodded. "Yes, if you would climb up here I'll have you hold this thing up a little more so that I can free the bolts."

"Happy to be of assistance." Lord Ferlin said and proceeded to carefully climb the tail section then inched his way using whatever hand hold he could find until he was up onto the main body of the chopper where the Commander was perched.

"Make sure you're stable before grabbing onto this." Feral warned as he pointed to the bent blade he wanted raised a bit.

Lord Ferlin made sure his feet were firmly planted before stretching up and pushing at the blade.

"Perfect, hold it there while I get this bolt undone." Feral grunted as he worked quickly. "Okay, its loose, ease off a bit then grab hold of one of the blades." The Commander said pointing to the flat metal pieces making sure Ferlin understood. When he was sure Lord Ferlin was holding the blade correctly, Feral removed the last of the bolts.

Standing up carefully, he reached for the rotor and with Ferlin's aid pulled it off it's spindle and dropped it to the ground.

"That's great! With that off, it can now be stowed in the Turbokat." The big tom said with satisfaction as he and Ferlin climbed down to the ground. Putting the tools away, Feral wiped his paws off on a rag.

"Okay let's go see how the SWAT Kats are doing." He said leading the way to the jet.

Reaching the Turbokat, Feral hopped onto the wing easily and leaned in the cockpit. "So how's it coming?" He asked the occupied pair.

"All systems seem okay despite it obviously having dropped a distance. I'm really surprised there wasn't any morel damage. Wish I knew how it ended up on the ground intact." Razor said puzzled.

"Hmm, yes that does seem odd when my chopper obviously smashed down but yours looks as if it was landed albeit by someone who isn't really a flyer if the landing gear is any indication." Feral mused.

"Yeah, you may be right! Anyway that's a mystery we probably will never get an answer to." T-Bone said shrugging. "Better back away, Feral. I want to start the engines."

Feral nodded and jumped back down and gestured Lord Ferlin to move with him.

A deep roar filled the area frightening the animals and the nearby farm family. The pilot only ran the engines for a few minutes before shutting them down. Lord Ferlin had jumped in his fur when the machine had roared to life.

'Such an incredible noise this thing makes.' He thought in wonder.

Now that the jet was quiet again, Feral moved back to its side just as the SWAT Kats jumped down. Razor was underneath studying the landing gear up close.

"How's it look Razor?" T-Bone asked in concern.

"Well it's not too bad. I can fix it. The problem we'll have is moving with the gear crumbled like that. The only choice is to fly it to the castle and put it down on a stack of hay. You are the only one I know who could even do that. So we'll leave it here for the moment until we can make a hay bale landing pad. First though, we've gotta load Feral's chopper aboard.." He sighed coming out from under the jet and standing next to them.

"I've removed the main rotor. How do you plan on getting it into the jet?" Feral asked frowning.

"By using the sand cat and towing it on board." Razor said confidently.

"Okay, let's get to it then." T-Bone said as he triggered the cargo doors open. Lord Ferlin watched in awe as the back of the huge machine opened and revealed a large storage area.

T-Bone climbed up the ramp and off loaded the sand cat. He drove to the front of the crippled chopper. Everyone helped pass a cable through the shattered canopy and wrapped it around the metal framework. With great care, T-Bone pulled the chopper slowly across the, fortunately level, ground to the rear of the jet and, with metal screeching, dragged it into the cargo area. Feral and Lord Ferlin carried the main rotor into the jet and laid it against a wall. They spent the next twenty minutes going over the area to ensure no material from the future was left behind.

"Well that's that. Guess we better head on back to the castle, it's getting late." T-Bone said as he sealed the jet and set its alarms not that he thought anyone in this century would touch it but better safe than sorry.

"Thee are correct, Sir T-Bone. The hour does grow late and the Queen wishes us to be back by evening meal." Lord Ferlin reminded them.

They walked back to the nervous horses and were forced to spend a little time calming them before getting on. T-Bone grit his teeth as he climbed back aboard his pony.

"I'd take my jet over this nag any time." He muttered to himself.

"It's not that bad once you get the hang of it buddy." Razor grinned having heard the comment.

"Say's you!" The tabby grumble unhappily.

Just to be on the safe side, Razor took the reins once more for T-Bone's pony. They made it back to the castle without incident.

"How fared thy day good sirs?" The Queen asked over their bowls of pepper pot stew.

"It went well, your majesty. We were able to load Commander Feral's crippled chopper aboard the Turbokat and made sure the area was clear of any material from our world. Unfortunately, the part of our machine that allows us to land is badly damaged. Unlike the last time when we were able to tow it here, with the landing parts broken that isn't possible this time. What we need to do is build a hay bale landing area where T-Bone can put the jet so that we can work on it." Razor quietly explained reaching for his milk to cool the burn of the soup.

"I will ensure thee has what thee needs in the morning. Simply instruct my knights on what assistance thee requires to accomplish this task." Queen Callista said easily.

"Thank you! We appreciate everything you're doing for us." T-Bone chimed in.

"I too am thankful for your assistance but I have one more request that I hope you will be able to help us with. I do hope I'm not being too presumptuous in asking this but since you are familiar with magic, I was wondering if you could help us take out the Pastmaster. While we are here, I fear the little creep is making a mess of Megakat City." Feral requested, very concerned about what the omega could be doing while they were away.

"I understand thy concern, Commander. I will use my scrying bowl to see what the Pastmaster is up to and hopefully find a counter measure for thee to use when thee are returned home." Callista agreed readily.

Feral nodded his thanks, relieved she was willing to aid them. Razor was stunned. He had planned to ask the Queen that very thing in a few days time. It was when the Commander did things like this that Razor was forcibly reminded that Feral wasn't stupid just narrow minded and too much by-the-book sometimes but this wasn't one of those times.

The meal ended on that hopeful note. They made for their rooms and bed. Tomorrow would be a busy day.


	4. Chapter 4

**A MEDIEVAL NIGHTMARE**

Chapter 4: Touring the Past

To T-Bone's disbelief, the castle's denizens were up at the first light of dawn. Not a morning person, he was grumbling under his breath at breakfast of, surprisingly, eggs and, not so surprisingly, pepper pot stew with plenty of milk. Feral and Razor were disgustingly alert and ready for the day.

Razor was already explaining how to build a platform of hay using a piece of charcoal and the surface of the table to Lord Ferlin. Feral and Queen Callista were listening nearby.

"Sounds simple enough, Sir Razor. We should have it completed by mid meal." Lord Ferlin assured him.

"Thanks. If you don't mind I'd like to oversee the work? The Turbokat is very heavy and the hay must be balanced just right." Razor said carefully not wanting to step on any toes.

"Aye, mayhap that would be wise, Sir Razor. Only thee would be aware of precisely what's needed for thy flying machine." Lord Ferlin agreed.

Smiling in relief, Razor followed the Captain of the guard out the doors and through the castle gates to where his knights were helping a large number of serfs collect and stack hay just outside the castle walls.

"Well it seems there's nothing for us to do until this afternoon. I think I'll catch a few more Zzzz." T-Bone said stretching and yawning.

"You're going to sleep while there's such a great opportunity to learn about our past?" Feral sneered in disgust. "The historians in our time would give their canines for a glimpse of what we have the chance to witness."

"Okay, okay! Geez Feral, who knew you were a history buff!" T-Bone grumbled.

"I'm not, actually, but it would be a crime not to witness real history in the making." Feral said seriously.

"Humph! Guess you're right. What should we see first." T-Bone said surprised that he was willing to go on a tour of the past with Feral.

"Hmm, why don't we check out the blacksmith's and see how they make swords?" Feral suggested as he headed outside.

"Hey, cool! Maybe we can get one to take back." The tiger tom said getting more interested and willingly followed Feral to the outer courtyard where the various work shops were built along the inner walls of the keep.

The blacksmith's shop wasn't hard to find, the billow of smoke and the clang of a hammer led them right to it. The blacksmith was at an outside forge hammering on a blade while a young male kitten fetched water at his command. An older kitten in his teens was handling the bellows. Feral and T-Bone came close enough to watch but not close enough to be in the way.

They watched fascinated. The kittens studied the strangers nervously but the blacksmith ignored them. He finally finished hammering and dropped the blade into a trough of water which caused it to billow with steam. Only then did he look up at his guests.

"Can I help thee strangers?" He asked.

"We were just watching you work. We might be interested in a couple of swords if you have some completed." T-Bone asked hesitantly. "This talent for making swords is pretty much a lost art where we come from."

"Truly?" The blacksmith said in surprise. "That is heavy news but from what I've heard whispered about the castle keep thy weapons are more fearsome than my humble ones."

"Oh our weapons are pretty fancy alright but they are nothing compared to the beauty, deadliness and excellent craftsmanship of a well made sword. They are considered a treasure in our world." Feral said politely admiring the one or two swords he could see hanging on the wall nearby.

"I appreciate thy kind words stranger and wouldst be honored if thee would take two swords of my making back to thy world with thee." The blacksmith said proudly as he moved from the forge and retrieved two beautiful swords that had been carefully wrapped and laid in a wooden storage box against one wall.

"Forgive us but we have no coin from this era to give for them." Feral said in surprise.

"No payment will I take from thee. Please accept these as a token of my appreciation for thy kind words and to let thy place of abode see what craftsman exist under Queen Callista's rule. Tell them Arn Whitlar didst create them, that is all I ask of thee." He smiled warmly as he handed the swords to each of them.

"Hey thank you. That's really generous of you!" T-Bone said, eyes gleaming at the precious gift in his paws.

"Yes thank you and we will remember to tell those of our land about your skills. May we watch you work for a little while?" Feral asked admiring the sword in his paws as well.

"I wouldst be honored good sir." Arn smiled as he returned to his forge and pulled the sword from the trough and began hammering once more on it.

Feral and T-Bone watched in fascination for some time as Arn labored. Finally, they took their leave holding their precious swords and waving their farewells. The scent of food roasting drew them along as they continued their walk past other shops. As they made their way toward the delectable odors they stared in wonder at the various wares along the way. There was a booth that was selling a variety of beautiful material for making gowns, another had baskets made of reeds and grasses, yet another made crude as well as fine quality furniture. At the end of their trek they reached a booth that had their noses twitching. Skewers of meat and vegetables were roasting over open pits as well as fresh loafs of some kind of hard bread.

"Thee be hungry good sirs?" A stooped old female Kat asked.

"It smells wonderful but I'm sorry to say we don't have any of your type of money to give you." Feral said with a sigh of regret.

"Ah good sir, thy hasn't been told that thee are to be given whatever thee desires by order of our most gracious Queen. Please, I would be honored for thee to try my wares." She said warmly.

"Oh, well in that case sure, we'd love to. Some of those meat skewer things and some bread would be great and do you have something to drink as well?" T-Bone said hungrily grateful for Queen Callista's thoughtfulness.

"Aye, I do handsome one. Here is thy meat and bread. Half a moment and I will bring thee some mead." She said smiling as she hobbled inside her shop returning a few minutes later with two metal flagons filled with some kind of golden liquid.

Feral and T-Bone happily munched on the offered meal. Drinking the liquid cautiously, they both had nearly identical reactions. Eyes widened and they nearly choked on the rather strong drink.

Coughing, Feral gasped, "Kat's Alive! What is this?" He asked the she Kat.

"Only the finest mead in this kingdom good sir. It is made from the finest hops and honey with other secret ingredients handed down from my ancestors. Is it not to thy liking?" She asked in concern.

"No, no it's fine, wonderful in fact. We're just not used to it is all." Feral quickly reassured her while taking more care drinking the strong mead. It actually was very good but he could get really drunk on it, he could tell.

"Wow! You got that right. Has a right kick to it!" T-Bone said admiringly, smacking his lips.

The old she-kat grinned in pleased delight. "Glad I am that thee are enjoying it."

"Oh yeah, it's great and the food is fantastic too. Thank you very much." T-Bone told her with a smile. "Hey, Commander shouldn't we be getting back up to the castle now?" He asked his companion.

"Yes, I think you're right. Thank you madam for the wonderful repast." Feral told the she-kat politely as he handed the flagon back to her. She smiled warmly, accepting the thanks as her due. T-Bone finished the drink quickly, making his head buzz a little then handed the cup back to her.

He and Feral quickly retraced their steps back to the castle gates to see how far Razor and company had gotten with their hay project.

They walked out the castle gates to the field where the hay was being stacked. They could see from where they stood that a sizeable pile had been built. He and Feral walked out to where they could see Razor and Lord Ferlin were standing monitoring the work closely.

"How's it going buddy?" T-Bone asked as they got close to the pair.

"Just about finished, T-Bone. Where have you too been?" Razor asked not taking his eyes off the work.

"Feral dragged me down to look at the shops in the keep. I have to admit it was interesting and look we both got these really cool swords to take back with us." T-Bone said proudly showing off his prize.

Razor flicked his eyes to the weapon in T-Bone's paws. "Hey, nice piece of history you got there." He said admiringly. He took a look at Feral's as well. "Hope I get a chance to look around too before we go."

"Well, I'd say when we've got the Turbokat placed here, you go and take a quick trip to the shops too before tackling the repair job. Doesn't matter how long we're here, Callista will send us close to the time we left." T-Bone told his partner with a smile.

"Huh! You're right. I forgot about that. I'll do just that." Razor grinned excitedly then he went to check the bales more closely.

"Really thing this will hold up that jet of yours?" Feral asked dubiously.

The tabby just shrugged his shoulders, "Razor knows this stuff. I just leave him to it."

Feral just shook his head and watched. After about fifteen minutes, Razor seemed satisfied and signaled the workers could cease their stacking. He walked back to his friend's side.

"Okay that's it. Now all we have to do is go get the jet and bring it back. Ready for another ride T-Bone?" He grinned at his partner.

"Crud, no way I want to be humiliated a second time on one of those things." He groused.

"I have a suggestion then SWAT Kat. Lord Ferlin and I will take you two on our horses to the site. That way we can just ride back while you fly back. No need for extra horses that way." Feral suggested with a smirk.

"An excellent idea, good sir. I'll have our mounts readied immediately." Lord Ferlin said pleased with the solution and signaling a peasant to come to him. Giving the peasant his instructions, the young kat tore off for the castle stables while the three strangers and Lord Ferlin followed at a more sedate pace.

Some twenty minutes later they were mounted and on their way to the farm where the Turbokat had landed. T-Bone carried both their swords across the saddle behind Feral's back. Razor rode with Lord Ferlin. Having nothing better to do but watch the scenery, T-Bone took in a little more history as he witnessed peasants working in their fields and the tools they used, and the way their houses were built. He turned his head and took the time to study more closely their fellow traveler, Lord Ferlin. There was something hauntingly familiar about the knight.

The more he stared the more he realized there was something about the Lord that teased at his memory.

Feral turned his head and growled, "Watch where you poke the pummel of that sword SWAT Kat."

T-Bone nearly snapped at him when the teasing memory jumped at him. It was Feral. He and Lord Ferlin had many of the same traits and their appearances were hauntingly the same. He blinked then blurted, "Crud, Feral. Lord Ferlin is your ancestor."

Feral looked back at him in surprise then looked over at Lord Ferlin who had heard T-Bone and was looking at them in some confusion. Feral had to admit there was a lot of similarity between Ferlin and himself. Now that his attention had been drawn to it, he realized that the Lord's last name 'Ferlin' could very well be an earlier version of his last name or another branch of his family lost in time.

"What is it that has thee so excited Sir T-Bone?" Lord Ferlin asked in some concern.

"Oh, it just occurred to me that you might very well be Commander Feral's ancestor. You two share a lot of common traits." T-Bone told him.

"Indeed, how interesting. It's quite possible I'm sure given the passage of time to thy own place." Lord Ferlin said with an interested smile and a closer look at Feral.

"Heh! I think you might be right T-Bone. Might be something you want to look into Feral when we get home." Razor said looking back and forth at the two of them.

"Hmm, you may be right, interesting." Feral murmured more to himself than them as he turned back around.

A half hour from when they left the castle, their jet came into view. Relieved to see it, T-Bone could hardly wait to get off this horse. His butt was sore and he was glad he wasn't going to have to ride it back again. He and Razor hopped off and ran to the Turbokat.

"We'd better put some distance between us and them or the horses are going to bolt." Feral said turning his horses head around and heading back the way they'd come.

"You are right of course. Best hold on tight to the reins." Lord Ferlin warned just as the jet roared to life. The horses jolted and lunged but both riders quickly gripped the reins tightly and pulled back hard then patted the sweating horses on the neck to calm them as they moved further away from the frightening noise.

Moments later the roar diminished but could be heard in more subdued fashion overhead. Lord Ferlin looked up in utter fascination as the huge metal bird seem to move through the air with ease.

"That is truly amazing. The wonders of thy world are truly staggering." He said to his companion.

"I'm sure it seems that way to you but it's just every day stuff to us." Feral said mildly.

They chatted amicably all the way back to the castle. Feral got to learn more about Lord Ferlin's life and he was only sorry he couldn't reciprocate since it would affect the past if he did. The knight seemed to accept this with no difficulty. Feral found he really liked this Kat and regretted he would never see him again that in his time, Ferlin would have been long dead. That felt strange to realize with the living, breathing reality sitting beside him.


	5. Chapter 5

**A MEDIEVAL NIGHTMARE**

Chapter 5: Repairing the Turbokat

"All systems are go T-Bone, takeoff when you're ready." Razor told his partner.

"Roger, lifting off." T-Bone grunted carefully raising the Turbokat from the ground. There was a disconcerting noise as they completely cleared the ground.

"Aw nuts, sounds like the landing gear is barely holding on." T-Bone said worriedly.

"Naw, just the parts that were damaged grinding together, buddy. To be on the safe side though just take it slow and easy getting to the castle." Razor reassured him.

"Heck that's not hard, by jet we're barely five minutes away." The tabby snorted as he switched from VTOL to forward motion.

As T-Bone predicted they were back at the castle in less than five minutes. He switched back to VTOL and lowered the jet till it was at least twenty feet in the air. Razor left his seat and went into the cargo hold. Opening the bombay doors, he used his glovatrix to repel the rest of the way to the ground.

Already a large crowd of curious castle dwellers were watching cautiously from the castle ramparts. None felt brave enough to get any closer to the strange flying creature. The Queen and her knights, though, were just outside the castle gates watching the metal craft hover effortlessly.

As soon as Razor was on the ground he called up to his partner to close the bombay door.

"Okay, buddy, nice and easy. Drop down very slowly." Razor directed.

As slow as the jet was capable, T-Bone began to descend carefully listening for Razor's instructions.

"Hold it! You need to move forward about ten feet." Razor warned and waited for T-Bone to perform that maneuver. "Okay, hold it there for a moment." He called then walked underneath the hovering jet and eyeballed the placement of the landing gear on the hay. "Nudge it forward again, T-Bone...not too much...right there...okay start lowering again..." Razor continued to give orders. He'd moved out from under when it looked like a good match. "Keep coming ...that's it...almost there..."

T-Bone could feel sweat running down his face but he never lost his concentration. Moments later he felt the jet settle but he didn't shut down until Razor gave him the okay.

"Perfect, as always buddy. You can shut down now." Razor said with relief.

The Queen strolled up to Razor's side and waited as T-Bone jumped down from the cockpit and joined them.

"Thee are very skilled, Sir T-Bone and thy construction of the landing area for thy machine was truly a masterpiece, Sir Razor." She said smiling admiringly at the now landed device.

"Thank you, my Queen. Now all we have to do is take apart the landing gear and see if we can make the repairs we need with what we have on board and your blacksmith's forge." Razor said blushing a bit at her compliment.

"Then I will not keep thee from thy appointed tasks good sirs. I suspect Commander Feral will have returned err thee get too far with thy repairs. Mayhap his assistance will aid thee in finishing sooner. I hope so because my people would dearly love to hold a festival in thy honor since thee are here for at a few more days." The Queen said warmly.

"Don't really know until we take it apart, my Queen but we will do our best." Razor said.

"A party sounds like a great idea and yeah, Feral has some mechanical skills, surprisingly, so he'll be able to help. Just send him over when he shows up." T-Bone said good-naturedly as he and Razor went to the rear of the jet to retrieve their tools.

"I will certainly have someone do so once he arrives, until later good sirs." Callista said smiling as she returned inside the castle walls.

_A mile or two from the castle..._

Feral was truly enjoying the peaceful ride back to Queen Callista's castle. Though their arrival in the past had not been their choice, he had to admit it was turning into a fascinating one. He felt relaxed and at ease, something his present life had very little of. He knew, of course, that life here was very harsh and unforgiving but for the little while that he was here it felt like a wonderful vacation.

Which, unfortunately, was about to end as they reached a rise and came in sight of the castle. The Turbokat was neatly planted on top of the hay bales just as Razor had planned it. Sighing to himself, he knew he would be assisting them with the repairs. They needed to return very soon.

He kicked his mount into a faster trot, Lord Ferlin doing the same and very quickly he arrived in the courtyard, dismounting and handing the reins over to a stable serf. A page ran up to him breathless.

"Sir Feral, thee has been requested by Sir Razor and Sir T-Bone to join them at their strange craft." He said quickly.

Feral nodded his acknowledgment and the page scampered off. Feral with Lord Ferlin following curiously, headed out the gates again and walked up to where Razor and T-Bone were wrestling with the twisted metal of their landing gear. It didn't look promising.

"That's a mess. Do you really think you can fix it with what's on hand here?" Feral asked skeptically.

"Yeah, I should be able to jury rig it enough for it to work once at least. Probably cannibalize your chopper for spare parts." Razor grunted distractedly.

"Humph...if you say so!" Feral snorted. "What can I do to help?" He asked.

"Uh...well...the landing rails looked like they were still intact. Might be able to use those." Razor said briefly.

Raising his eyebrows at that suggestion, Feral didn't comment, though he really didn't think the chopper rails were going to be able to handle the weight of the jet. But he knew Razor was a brilliant inventor, if anyone could make it work he could. So without further questions he moved to the rear of the now open cargo hold and walked up the ramp.

He studied his chopper with a critical eye. The landing rails were still in one piece. Sighing, he removed his coat and tie and laid them out of the way. He was startled when he realized Lord Ferlin was standing behind him.

"Forgive me Commander. I'm simply caught up in all this. So much so I find I can't seem to pull myself away. May I offer my assistance?" He asked.

Smiling to himself in amusement, Feral said, "Certainly, I'd appreciate your help." He moved to the open tool box the SWAT Kats were using and removed several items and returned to the chopper. "Let's get to it." He grunted.

He spent the next few minutes giving simple instructions to Ferlin on how to remove the bolts and brackets that held the landing rails. Nodding his understanding and handling the wrench and screwdriver with a little trepidation Ferlin went to the opposite rail from Feral and began to work.

Feral watched him a few minutes and when he felt Ferlin was getting the hang of it began to work on his own rail. They worked silently except for an occasional oath now and then when one of them lost their grip on a tool and banged knuckles and elbows.

Below them they could hear a lot of grinding and swearing noises. The SWAT Kats were not having a very easy time of it. Banging was heard next then a heavy thud, one of the wheels, Feral assumed as he finally detached the front part of the rail and moved to the rear.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and preparing to remove some bolts when a sweet voice spoke hesitantly near them. Both Ferlin and he looked up in surprise and saw a very young she-kat standing nervously on the ramp below them. She held a large urn and some mugs in her paws.

"Excuse me good sirs, but the Queen has bidden me to bring thee some water." She said shyly.

"Aye that would be welcome, little one. Be not afraid, nothing here will harm thee." Lord Ferlin reassured her.

She daintily walked up the metal ramp to their side. Her eyes wide and nervous like a young doe. Still smiling encouragingly at her Lord Ferlin took one of the mugs from her paw while Feral took the other. She carefully poured them both cold, clear water.

Feral was grateful. He hadn't realized just how thirsty he was from the long ride and working in the hot interior of the jet. He smiled and thanked the young she-kat. She smiled and ducked her head. Lord Ferlin thanked her as well as he returned the mug to her. Feral asked for more and she obliged. Once he was through he handed the mug back and she quickly scurried back out of the jet as if her tail was on fire. Chuckling at each other the pair returned to work.

Under the jet, Razor swore softly as he examined the nose gear more closely. There was no way it was going to handle a landing. He was thankful that the main landing gear had survived whatever had happened to the jet. Except for being locked down with no way to retract them up they would hold for a one time landing.

The nose gear, however, was a different problem altogether. T-Bone was attempting to pull what was left of its struts from its housing but it was a mess.

"T-Bone, I'm afraid we are going to have to shear it off then bore new holes." He said grimly.

"But that will make it far too short and it will still be too weak to hold the jets weight on landing." T-Bone objected.

"Yeah, I know but that is where the landing rails from the chopper will help. We'll weld and bolt the rails on either side of the nose gear to give it more support. You will have to land on the mains and only drop the nose when we are just about to put down completely. It should work." Razor said. "Anyway that's all I can do under the circumstances."

"Alright, if you say so. Stand back and I'll shear it off. How far do you want me to go?" He asked as he set his laser to maximum.

"As close to the bolted area as you can get without destroying the connector." Razor told him stepping back out of the way.

It only took a few minutes for T-Bone to burn the metal apart allowing the wheel and what was left of the strut to land with a heavy thud to the ground.

"Now we need to have the blacksmith hammer this section..." Razor pointed to a twisted section of metal, "straight and flat again."

"Okay, I'll take it to him and watch to make sure its done right. What are you going to do?" T-Bone said as he lifted the strut section so he could just roll the tire rather than carry the heavy nose gear.

"I'm going to chisel out the rest of the strut from the connector, I hope." Razor sighed as he studied the section in question.

T-Bone grimaced. "Have fun!" He left for the blacksmith's shop.

"Yeah, thanks." His partner muttered sarcastically.

T-Bone had a small group of curious peasants follow him to the blacksmiths. They kept a respectful distance but it still felt strange to the tabby. The blacksmith was working on a wagon wheel as T-Bone approached. He tossed the metal stripping he was working on into the water trough and a cloud of steam blew up.

"Sir T-Bone, how can I help thee?" Arn asked.

"Well we need this section straightened out again and if you don't mind I'll assist you." T-Bone said politely.

"As you wish, Sir T-Bone, thee are more familiar with this strange metal than I." Arn agreed amiably and gestured toward his anvil and forge.

Over the next hour, T-Bone sweated as he helped Arn beat the metal into some semblance of its normal shape.

Meanwhile back at the jet, Razor was very carefully using his laser on its thinnest setting to carve away the damaged metal strut section, it was slow going.

In the cargo area, Feral has just finished removing the last bolt holding the rail on. He carefully laid it down on the floor and went over to help Ferlin finish as well. The rails were heavy so they could only carry one at a time. Ferlin and Feral hefted the first one down the ramp.

"Razor where do you want this?" Feral shouted.

Razor looked up from his work and saw the pair straining to hold the heavy rail. "Put one on either side of me, Commander, thanks." He told them then returned to his lasering.

They grunted as they carefully lowered the rail to one side of Razor on the ground then walked back up the ramp for the other. Lowering the last one on the other side of Razor, they stood panting and catching their breath then they went for all the parts they had taken off. Using a box Feral found inside they placed the bolts and other parts into it and carried it outside setting it near one of the rails for Razor.

"Anything else we can help you with?" Feral asked when Razor had stopped for a moment in his work.

Looking around and thinking for a moment, his face scrunching up in concentration, Razor finally shook his head. "No, that's it for now. We have to wait until T-Bone gets the strut fixed before we put these rails on and that might not be until tomorrow. Thanks for the help."

"Okay! Well I'm going to go back into the castle. Holler if you need me." Feral said agreeably and turned to walk back to the castle with Lord Ferlin.

"If you'd like, I could give thee a tour of the castle?" Lord Ferlin offered.

"I'd like that. I've already had a look around the shops in the courtyard but not the castle environs itself yet." Feral grinned.

"Excellent, then I will be thy guide and at the end of our tour we can stop at my quarters for a drink of mead." Lord Ferlin said pleased to spend more time with Feral.


	6. Chapter 6

**A MEDIEVAL NIGHTMARE**

Chapter 6: A Celebration and Departure

"That's got it, Arn. Thank you for the help." T-Bone grunted holding the repaired nose gear.

"Thee are most welcome, Sir T-Bone. If more thy need, don't hesitate to come to me." The blacksmith said with a grin of pleasure.

"I'll keep that in mind." T-Bone smiled back and began wheeling the gear back to the jet.

When he arrived back at the Turbokat, he could see Razor had gotten the pieces of broken strut removed and was presently doing something to the landing rails of Feral's chopper.

His eyes raised but he didn't comment as he rolled the wheel back to its proper place.

"Great work, T-Bone," Razor said as he inspected the strut. "Now hold it there while I put in new holes." He said as he reset his laser.

T-Bone steadied the strut and kept his face back out of the way while Razor carefully made new bolt holes.

"There that should do it, now let's lever it into position." Razor said as he avoided the hot metal and helped T-Bone raise the strut into position, once there, Razor slid the bolt through. "Perfect! I'll leave you to tighten that into place, buddy. I want to finish prepping these rails then we'll lever them into position on either side of the strut and tire." Razor said distractedly as he returned to the rails at their feet.

Minutes later, the two were hefting the rails into position but found them too awkward to hold and install alone.

"Guess we better call for Feral and Lord Ferlin if we want to get this done before dark." Razor said in annoyance as he looked up at the sky and saw how late it was getting.

"You're right there...hmmm...hey! You there!" T-Bone shouted toward some teenage kittens hovering close watching them.

The small group jumped in surprise and a little fear. They walked cautiously up to the jet but didn't get real close.

"Hey could some of you go find Sir Feral and Lord Ferlin and tell them we need them here?" T-Bone asked politely.

The kittens nodded their heads and smiled. Turning swiftly, they ran for the castle to fulfill their mission. It took them a little while and asking various servants to finally locate the pair.

Lord Ferlin was in his study sharing a bottle of sherry with Commander Feral and talking strategy. The leader of the group of kittens knocked on the open door frame to gain their attention.

"Yes?" Ferlin asked.

"Sirs! Sir T-Bone asked that thee both come and aid him and Sir Razor." He said breathlessly.

"Ahh, looks like they have need of us at last, Sir Feral." Lord Ferlin said as he rose from his chair. He reached for something at his belt and a moment later he handed coins to the younglings for their help. They grinned happily and took off.

Some minutes later, the pair walked across the castle courtyard and out the gate to the jet. Dusk was near and Razor had hung a trouble light over his work area. Lord Ferlin blinked at that in fascination.

"So! What do you two need?" Feral asked gruffly.

"We need you two to hold the rails while T-Bone and I bolt them in place." Razor explained.

"Right!"

Feral went to one end of a rail while Ferlin went to the other. With a grunt of effort they lifted the rail and moved it where Razor indicated. It was exhausting work. It took fifteen minutes per rail but finally they were in place.

"Well that's the best were going to get. It should hold up just long enough to let us land just once." Razor said in satisfaction.

"Great. I'm ready for a bath and food right about now." T-Bone said wiping sweat from his brow.

They put away their tools and searched the ground to be sure they hadn't left anything. Razor closed the cargo hold and they walked back to the castle just as the light of day vanished.

Reaching the room they shared, they found the Queen had anticipated their needs. A huge tub was sitting in the middle of the floor of their room and servants were just beginning to fill it with hot water. As soon as the tub was filled, they stripped down to underwear and climbed in. The soap was hard and smelled of oat and honey. It was a bit difficult to use but they weren't too picky. Finished, they climbed out and used the rough fabric laid out for them.

"Wished they had a dryer." Razor said ruefully as he tried to dry his long fur.

"Me too!" Feral sighed as he had the same problems with his long fur.

T-Bone just smirked at them as he finished drying his much shorter fur. "That's probably why they lit the fireplace." He snorted going to the table near the bed that held various brushes.

They aided each other brushing out backs, even Feral's, then they dressed for dinner feeling much better and cleaner.

Dinner of course, was more pepperpot stew with hot crusty bread and lots of milk.

"How hast thou work progressed Sir Razor?" the Queen asked.

"Finished, my Queen. We are as ready as we will be when you are able to send us back." Razor said politely.

"That is good news. Tomorrow my people will prepare for a festival. They don't have many opportunities to enjoy themselves. Thy presence gives them an excuse to have a brief holiday from work and the daily chores of life." She said smiling.

"Sounds like fun!" T-Bone said in anticipation. This trip was turning out to be a bit more interesting then all their other too brief forays here.

She bid them a pleasant good night as they went to their beds. They were beat and went to sleep almost before their head hit the feather stuffed pillows.

Next morning shone bright and sunny. The visitors were allowed to rest a little longer than the castle denizens but they couldn't really sleep past all the commotion anyway. Tomorrow they would, hopefully, be going home. Today they would enjoy themselves and perhaps pick up some things to take back.

And what an interesting day it was. Feral enjoyed a chance to show his prowess in a tournament that consisted of racing on horseback holding a pike and trying to catch a ring onto it while running down a straight course. He was successful at least three times. He was grinning ear from ear with triumph as he held up the ring on his last run. The people cheered.

Razor got his chance to shine in a game of tossing knives at a target. None were able to beat his uncanny accuracy.

T-Bone took a turn but wasn't as good but he did have better luck at throwing hatchets.

After the contests, there were many booths and the smells of wonderful foods on the air. They walked with the Queen and Lord Ferlin and picked up quite a few things to take back and tried many of the different and sometimes odd food. By that evening, they were placed beside the Queen on chairs brought out and placed on the top step of the castle doors to watch dancing and music. They tried some of the local mead as well though they were careful not to drink to much since it was very potent.

By bedtime, they were replete and tired. Collapsing onto their beds they had to admit they'd had an incredible day. Privately, Razor was amazed at how well they had gotten along with Feral during this whole thing. When he wasn't being pressed by the constant emergencies, paperwork, and the aggravations of working with city hall, he was a rather interesting and easy to get along with tom. He wondered vaguely as sleep overcame him how this trip would affect their future interactions with the Commander. Only time would tell.

The day was a little overcast as they spent their last day with the Queen. They loaded the jet with the things they had gotten yesterday then they spent the day just relaxing. Feral spent a great deal of time talking with Lord Ferlin. Dinner was quiet, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally, it was moonrise and they walked out to the jet. They spent a few minutes saying goodbye.

Feral stood to the side and spoke with Lord Ferlin who handed him a present.

"What's this?" Feral asked as he unwrapped the cloth that covered the object. It was a book with an ornate cover. The words inside were written in gold lettering and many beautiful colored illustrations.

"This is a copy of my family history." Lord Ferlin said quietly.

"But, why give it to me?" Feral asked astonished, admiring the craftsmanship of the beautiful gift.

"I feel as Sir Razor does that we be related, who better to posses this." He grinned in amusement and pleasure at Feral's surprise and gentle care of the precious item.

"I...even if I am not, I am deeply honored to receive this. Thank you!" Feral said shaking the other kats paw in farewell.

Nearby, the SWAT Kats were bidding the Queen farewell.

"I'd say we'll miss you if it weren't for the fact that Pastmaster has a penchant for sending us here, so unfortunately, we'll probably be seeing you again." Razor said with a rueful smile.

"That is very true, I fear. Sir Razor. A safe journey to thee and to thee, Sir T-Bone." She said warmly hugging them both.

Feral walked over to them and the Queen took his paw. "Though we have only just met, Sir Feral, I am pleased to have made your acquiantance. I too think that thee is a distant descendant of Lord Ferlin. It would be nice if thee would inform me on thy occasional visits here if that was discovered to be true." She said.

"Sure, if we see you again, we'll try to have that information on hand." T-Bone said.

"It has been a pleasure meeting you and getting a chance to see the past. It's been really fascinating." Feral said warmly.

"It is time. Please prepare yourselves to leave." She said quietly.

Feral climbed up on the wing and then down into the hold securing himself into a jump seat. He chose a seat as close to the ladder as he could and pulled an engine warming pad over him. He didn't want flying debris from the chopper to hit him if they had a bumpy ride.

T-Bone and Razor hopped in to their seats and closed the canopy.

They watched Queen Callista and Lord Ferlin move back to stand near the main gates of the castle. She raised her arms and a gleam of light shone between her palms. It got brighter and brighter until they felt themselves being lifted into the air and shot toward the moon.

When they were high enough, T-Bone engaged the engines. A portal opened up and he guided the jet through it. It was pretty rough, Feral got quite a few things thrown at him but he remained unharmed when they burst through into their own time once more.


	7. Chapter 7

**A MEDIEVAL NIGHTMARE**

Chapter 7: Making Plans

By some fluke of space and time, they arrived at night. The moon shone through the canopy as T-Bone guided the Turbokat back down from the stratosphere they had arrived in. As they came in close enough to see the city, they were appalled.

The Pastmaster had finally succeeded in changing the city in the week they had been gone.

"What do we do now buddy?" T-Bone said tightly.

"First thing, go back up high before the Pastmaster sees us." Razor said tensely.

"Right!" T-Bone said and quickly sent the jet back up to the stratosphere.

"Alright, now let's head for the mountains," Razor ordered grimly.

"Our backup base? But what if its gone too?" His said as he sent the jet toward their newly constructed but unfinished base.

"We have to hope that he changed only the city and didn't bother to do anything about the outlying areas. He probably put a magical barrier around the city to keep other countries from coming in as well. Hopefully he extended it far enough we can reach our base or we're screwed." Razor said heavily.

They flew for some fifteen minutes and were relieved when they weren't halted before they reached the hidden base.

As T-Bone hovered in front of the disguising waterfall, Razor depressed a control on his glovatrix and held his breath. A sigh of relief escaped him when the water parted like magic revealing a hidden entrance way for the jet.

T-Bone flew them in and carefully landed. As the jet settled the nose gear held for just a moment before crumbling forward jarring the pair forward in their seats.

"Ouch! Crud!" T-Bone cursed.

"Well at least it let us land before collapsing, buddy and our base is intact. These are good things." Razor said pragmatically.

"Okay, now we have another problem...Feral..." T-Bone said as he shut down the jet.

"Hey! He's in the same boat as us you know and he didn't see where we are. We'll make sure he doesn't see when we leave. It can't be helped that he'll see the base in the first place but he'll be helpful when we repair the Turbokat and he is a pretty good strategist, buddy. So let's get going. There's no telling what's happened to everyone we know and we have a lot of work to do before we can help them." Razor said as he jumped down into the cargo hold.

T-Bone sighed and joined him. They blinked when they saw Feral uncover himself. "Hey, smart idea, Commander. Made it through okay...no injuries?" T-Bone asked.

"No, I'm fine. Where are we?" He asked.

Razor told him what they had seen on arrival and where they were now. He also explained what they had to do and for him to think of ways they could defeat Pastmaster. Feral growled unhappily about the situation but was surprisingly not angry with their decisions. Razor opened the cargo doors and they walked into their unfinished base.

"Impressive!" Feral commented as he looked around. "So we want to get started repairing the jet. Do you have what you need here?" Feral asked briskly as he removed his coat and tie and got ready to work.

T-Bone stared at the big kat in surprise but Razor accepted his willingness to help them easily and answered.

"Yeah, fortunately, I do have some things here, thankfully. So let's get busy!" He said.

Over the next several hours, they worked tirelessly repairing the jet and loading weapons on board as well. It was a few hours past dawn when they finally finished.

"I suggest we get some much needed rest and eat. When we get up, we hold a strategy meeting on how to take back our city." Feral said.

"Good idea! We have some canned stuff here and small sleeping quarters. I have a pad I can put on the floor for you Commander. There's a shower too." Razor agreed. T-Bone just nodded tirededly and followed Razor to their quarters.

After taking turns showering, T-Bone lent Feral a pair of coveralls, they made a hasty meal and laid down.

An hour after dusk they were eating a meal and discussing plans.

"We can't be seen in the jet but we do need to get close to find out what's going on." Feral said in concern.

"Not a problem. We'll go in as close as we dare then hide the jet and take the hoverkat. It's nearly soundless. The cyclotrons are way too noisy even if they would get us there faster." Razor told him.

"Good! Then all we need now is disguises. We certainly can't walk around like this. Since he changed the city into the dark ages, he may have kats wearing the appropriate clothing. I suggest we wear cloaks, that seemed to be common wear around Callista's castle." Feral said thoughtfully.

"Yeah! You're probably right. But we're going to have to steal some because I don't have anything here that will work." Razor said.

"So, we slip into the city, steal some cloaks, then try to find out where everyone is, especially Pastmaster, right?" T-Bone recapped.

"Yes and we should wait till full dark but before the moon comes up." Feral said firmly.

The SWAT Kats nodded in agreement. They discussed what else they should take with them and cobbled together odds and ends that might be useful to their plans. Razor checked over the hoverkat and tested it. They loaded it with their equipment.

"Well we're as ready as we can be. Why don't we see if we can get anything on any radio frequency?" Razor suggested as he headed for his communication's center.

It was a depressing experiment as all they got was static until a burst of sound struck them. The signal was from outside the city. It was Dr. Sinean. She was apparently at an archeological site far enough out of the city to not be affected.

Razor zeroed in on her signal, "Dr. Sinean, this is Razor. Where are you?"

"Razor?!!! Oh thank God! I'm at the remains of the Katchu Pichu Pyramid that you sank a year ago. Where are you?" Dr. Sinean ask relieved to hear their voices.

"We just returned from the past. Are you alone?" He asked.

"No there are about five others here with me." She told him.

"Have you tried to get back to the city?" Razor asked.

"Yes but there is some kind of barrier. I take it, it's the Pastmaster?" She said resignedly.

"I'm afraid so. Somehow he managed to capture us and Commander Feral, put a pain curse on us and sent us to Queen Callista's time. She fortunately removed the curse and saved our lives and sent us back. We were, luckily, inside the barrier he put up. We could use your help on how we could defeat him this time. We plan on sneaking into the city to find out what is going on since we've been gone. We're leaving here in just a few hours." Razor told her.

"I would normally have had you go to my office but I suspect it doesn't exist now. I'll try and think what you can do from our past experiences but without my books, I don't know how much I'll be able to remember and whether it will help," she said helplessly.

"Yeah, I'm in the same boat. Though my computer works for retrieving my own files the internet doesn't function. Well, do the best you can and we'll check things out and get back to you in the morning, alright?" Razor said sighing.

"Alright. We'll wait for your call. Please be careful," she said worriedly.

"We will, good night." He told her and cut the connection. "Well, I was right. Pastmaster did enclose the city."

"Well it's up to us then!" T-Bone said grimly. The other two nodded in agreement.


	8. Chapter 8

**A MEDIEVAL NIGHTMARE**

Chapter 8: Planning the Attack

The wait was torturous but finally it was time to leave. T-Bone headed for Megakat Park. As they got close, he discovered it was now a huge overgrown forest. Finding a clearing big enough for the jet he landed.

"Hopefully no one spotted us." He said grimly as he and Razor jumped down into the hold to join Feral.

"Nothing we can do about if they had. Get aboard!" Razor ordered as he climbed aboard the hoverkat followed by T-Bone and Feral.

Razor opened the cargo door with a control on his glovatrix then T-Bone gently glided the hoverkat out. He held his position just outside the jet while Razor closed the door and secured the Turbokat.

Soon they were gliding silently through the trees for city hall. Reaching the exit point where they should have found city hall just beyond, they beheld an old spooky tower instead.

"Must be Pastmaster's home from the dark ages." T-Bone whispered as he lowered the hoverkat to the ground. They sat and studied the tower for a long moment.

"Lovely!" Feral grumbled. "If that is his stronghold then he must have guards of some kind around. Also, where are his other guards to keep the katizens in line? I haven't seen anything when we flew to the park." He rumbled in concern. Razor had turned a monitor on for Feral, only after they had left the area of their base, so that he could be an extra pair of eyes as they penetrated the city.

"You're right! I don't like the feel of this." Razor murmured uneasily.

"Perhaps we should try for where the Enforcer Building used to be and see if any of my troops are there or find Felina." Feral said, uneasy as well.

"Yeah, I don't like the feel of this either. Let's do as Feral suggested. It still might be guarded but as least we'll see what kind of guards." T-Bone growled unhappily as he restarted the hoverkat and made off again.

He cautiously steered them through the forest toward the last known location of Enforcer Headquarters. Halting in its general vicinity but still in the trees, they climbed out and covered the hoverkat with a camouflaged tarp Razor had brought along.

Standing in the tree line they stared in shock at the scene before them. Instead of graceful buildings of modern construction there were miserable looking hovels of wood and peat. Hundreds of them spread in all directions with the occasional stone building that probably housed the nobles in olden days. The dirt streets were empty. Meager lights shone through many of the windows and barking dogs could be heard here and there. Voices raised in anger, pain or sorrow could be heard on the night air. Everywhere lay misery. It hung heavy in the air.

They looked at each other grimly. They had to fix this quickly before people died of disease, starvation, injury, or each other in their anger and fear.

Picking a direction, they hurried through the unfamiliar landscape. Soon they reached where they thought the Enforcer Building had been. In its place was an another stone building that looked like a miniature castle.

They hid behind a small copse of trees that they had discovered were scattered throughout the 'city' and watched. The 'castle' had torches burning at the front gates and on the ramparts above. There they got their first glimpse of Pastmaster's guards. Gargoyles! Ugly, grey stone like creatures only about three feet tall with wings. They few around the top of the castle or landed and sat on the ramparts.

"Oh, this is not good!" T-Bone muttered softly.

The others could only agree. How were they supposed to get close let alone enter the building.

"Let's try the rear of the building," Feral suggested.

Not having an better ideas, they nodded and moved off carefully, staying close to the building and trees for cover. It took them a good fifteen minutes to get to the other side. The Gargoyles were there but not as many.

"We're going to have to cause a small diversion. It can't be too big or we'll attract too much attention. Just enough to draw this things away for a few minutes." Razor said.

"What do you suggest? Got something on you?" Feral asked.

"Hmm, maybe...I've got it! I'll use a small missile to break a large branch on that tree over there that should bring them running to check it out but not cause any suspicions." Razor whispered excitedly. "As soon as they do, we run to the wall where that unlighted window is located. Jump on T-Bone's back, Feral and we'll use our grappling lines to get up and in quickly."

"Sounds like a good plan. Be ready to run when it falls." T-Bone warned preparing himself.

Razor took aim and shot a missile at the base of a huge limb some twenty feet away. It gave way with a loud crack. The Gargoyles raced over to check it out and the SWAT Kats and Feral raced, hunched low to the ground, to the wall. Just under the window, Razor and T-Bone shot their grappling lines. Feral wrapped himself around T-Bone and they were whisked upward. Luckily it was wide or they would have had a problem going up at the same time. Feral climbed up over T-Bone's head and went into a roll, jumping to his feet quickly followed by the SWAT Kats climbing in the window. Their luck was still with them. The room was empty.

Searching the room for a moment, they discovered some clothing hanging on hooks on a wall. To their relief there were some cloaks as well. Putting them on, they felt better about being able to go unnoticed.

Razor opened the door slowly and looked out. The corridor was empty and they slipped out and stood for a moment to decide which direction to go. Listening carefully they heard a mutter of voice coming from one end. Trotting quickly they reached a staircase leading down.

The voices came from below, so they went down the stairs swiftly and halted at the bottom to peek around an archway that lead into a huge room. Wooden tables were against one wall near a huge fireplace and at one of the tables were enforcers. Feral let out a sigh of relief but he didn't step out just yet. They carefully looked around and up for any hidden guards they might have missed and found a huge stone guardian at a door leading out.

"Crud! How do we take that thing out without bring all the calvary down on us." T-Bone hissed in annoyance.

"We've got to get one of my enforcers to come over here and talk to us. It's the only way we're going to know what's going on and maybe they've seen these things weaknesses." Feral hissed back.

"I guess we have to wait until one of them needs to use the bathroom." T-Bone said sourly.

Feral just shrugged his shoulders while Razor continued to study the guard. It seemed like forever but it had only been ten minutes, when an enforcer got up and stretched. He made for the doorway they were hiding, to their relief.

They stepped back into the shadow of the stairs. The enforcer wasn't really paying much attention when he nearly walked right into them. T-Bone snatched him and covered his mouth before he could cry out. Feral stepped in front of him and watched the troopers eyes widen in relieved surprise.

Feral gestured for T-Bone to release the tom then signaled they should go back up the stairs before speaking. Though he was obviously burning to speak the officer held his piece until it was safe enough for them to talk.

"Commander! Sir, you're alive!" The officer blurted but kept his voice low.

"Yes. We were sent into the past and only just managed to return. What's been going on?" Feral demanded softly.

"Well sir, when you and the SWAT Kats disappeared, Lt Commander Steele tried to take out Pastmaster but failed miserably because the sorcerer had brought in dragons and those stone flying things as well as a few of those big stone guards. Soon the city changed around us and things went from bad to worse. We had no weapons, no modern anything. We put up all the katizens with children here that lived nearby, there's plenty of room and the injured and sick but there isn't much we can do for them because we have no medical supplies. Food and water is supplied by Pastmaster's guards twice a day, " he told his Commander quickly.

"Have you seen any weaknesses in Pastmaster's guards?" Razor asked him.

"The Gargoyles sleep during the day as do the stone guards. As soon as the sun comes up they freeze. Unfortunately, we discovered that they are replaced by a magical barrier. The gap between them freezing and the barrier going up is seconds," the officer said glumly.

"Is there anyway to destroy them?" Razor persisted.

"Well, yeah! When they first showed up and before all our weapons disappeared our lasers and missiles could shatter them. Even a sonic boom from our jets could do it. Obviously, it's why he got rid of them so quickly. A lot of enforcers died when they fell from the air when their aircraft vanished. Even their parachutes didn't save them because the dragons toasted them before they could land," he said with angry sorrow.

"My niece...Lt Feral...is she...?" Feral asked hesitantly afraid of the answer.

"Oh she's okay sir." He answered quickly. "She's upstairs on the ramparts watching the Gargoyles.

"Would you go up and get her? Then I want you to gradually ask all the officers to pretend to go to bed. Will that cause any suspicions?" Feral ordered but asked in case this would be a problem.

The officer frowned, "I'll go get the Lieutenant sir, but its been our habit to stay up and not go to bed until dawn and these things know that."

"Ahh, alright, just get my niece for now, then go back to your table like you're supposed to and say nothing yet." Feral ordered him.

"Yes sir." He saluted and raced up the stairs and disappeared.

Well not as bleak as we thought. All we have to do is destroy Pastmaster's guards on this building. Wait until nightfall when the barrier falls and arm up your best sharpshooters with the weapons we have and get Pastmaster's watch to undo all this." T-Bone said with grin.

"Except that we can't utilize the watch to make it undo the spell he cast!" Feral said bluntly.

T-Bone's smile vanished and he growled, "Then what's the point of trying?"

"I didn't say the idea didn't have merit, only that we need to know how to return the city to normal." Feral said in annoyance.

"Ms. Briggs!" Razor blurted. "She's a descendent of Queen Callista. She should be able to use the watch, that's if we can find out what spell he used. I have a bad feeling she is Pastmaster's prisoner. The only good luck to that is she may have heard the spell." Razor said trying to be upbeat.

"Well, then it looks like were are going to storm the tower." Feral sighed. He didn't have a chance to say more when the sound of running footsteps and a body throwing itself at him took his attention.

"Oh God! Uncle, it's you!" Felina's voice was choked with relieved emotion.

For once, not holding back, Feral hugged his niece tightly. So very glad that each was alive.

The SWAT Kats politely stayed silent during the reunion. The guard smiled then made his face flat again to head out to the tables.

Feral brought Felina up to date then he discussed what he had in mind for storming Pastmaster's castle. "You two should distract the Pastmaster, while I and my troops sneak in through the door and come up behind him."

"That should work. Lieutenant? Is Ms. Briggs in Pastmaster's paws?" Razor asked.

"Yes and so is the Mayor, Ann Gora, Dr. Sinean and the city council." She said grimly.

"Any word on where Professor Hackle is?" He asked.

She frowned and looked surprised, "No. I have no idea if he's alright or not."

"You know, it quite possible he wasn't affected by this spell. I think he may be at the limit as was our base. He has an armory of weapons he's invented." Razor said excitedly.

Feral's eyes widened with hope, "Then all we need to do is see if he is still in operation and arm all my enforcers."

"Okay, I think we have a functioning plan. First we destroy the guards here just before nightfall so that when Pastmaster's magical barrier drops they will be destroyed and hopefully he won't notice immediately. Have your troops evacuate the katizens here and herd them into the forest as far as they can and have them hide. When Pastmaster finds out his guards are gone he'll come looking. He's usually connected to his magical constructs, that's why we can't leave them here to be harmed. Now, while that is being done, T-Bone will fly you two to Professor Hackle's and hope he's alright and get the weapons. Meanwhile, I'll take the hoverkat to the Tower. When Pastmaster leaves, I'll try and slip in and set a trap. If it doesn't work of course, we'll go with your original plan, keep him busy and you try to take the watch from him. At least we'll get two attempts." Razor said as he laid their plans and pitfalls out.

"No way should you go alone. I'll go with you and cover your back." Felina insisted.

They looked at her for a moment, then Feral nodded his head. "She's right, for you to succeed you'll need someone else there to help. No argument! Now what kind of trap did you have in mind?" He asked.

"Netting him would have been my first choice but he could use his watch to remove it so a tarpedo pinning him thoroughly to a wall should keep him from using it, it's very gooey and messy. I'll need to set up a trip wire with the missile to explode when he hits it." Razor told him.

"Well all that's left is to wait till dawn to get started," T-Bone said, "and that's about four more hours away. What do you want to do until then?"

"Why not come to my room and we'll trade information?" Felina suggested.

"Sounds like a good idea, nothing we can do right now. Hope no one finds the hoverkat and jet in the woods while we're stuck in here." T-Bone said in concern as they followed Felina up the stairs.

"No chance of that, T-Bone. There is a curfew. No one out after dark. The katizens are only allowed to move around to hunt for food and firewood except for us." Felina told them as they went down a hallway and reached a heavy door that she opened and revealed a bunch of chairs and a line of wooden beds filled with hay for sleeping.

They sat down and began telling Felina about their time in the past and she told them what life had been like for her and the city the past week.


	9. Chapter 9

**A MEDIEVAL NIGHTMARE**

Chapter 9: Taking Back a City

Just before dawn, the rest of the enforcers arrived. They were stunned and happy to see their Commander alive and well. He informed them of their plans and had them get some sleep until noon when they would prepare the katizens in the building for evacuation.

Noon came and everyone was up and busy. Children were crying softly and many voices were worried, some angry and afraid. They stopped though when they were told the SWAT Kats and Commander Feral were in charge and were planning to free the city.

Soon all was in readiness and they waited nervously for the sun to lower in the sky. Just as it was beginning to glow its last rays, they attacked. Within minutes all the Gargoyles on the ramparts were destroyed by Felina and her small group of enforcers while in the main hall, Feral and the SWAT Kats concentrated their fire power on the giant and finally turned him into dust just as the sun disappeared.

Wasting no time, the evacuation began. Enforcers hustled their charges out of the castle and into the forest at a near run. A radio had been given to the senior enforcer so that they could be picked back up when Feral was ready to attack the tower.

The SWAT Kats, Felina and Feral quickly uncovered the hoverkat and climbed in. They were soon moving as fast as they could through the dark forest for the Turbokat.

When they reached it, T-Bone and Feral jumped into the cockpit. Razor jumped onto the wing and explained the weapons consul to Feral and gave final instructions to T-Bone.

"Stay high buddy so that the dragons won't see you. Feral, use this (he showed him the x-ray device) to watch for the Pastmaster leaving the castle as you're heading for the Professor's. It will give me a heads up so that I won't waste time trying to determine if he's there or not."

"Right, good idea." Feral agreed quickly.

"Good luck and watch your tail, buddy." T-Bone growled at his partner.

"You too!" Razor said as he jumped back down and ran to the hoverkat and Felina.

T-Bone took off quickly as Razor directed the hoverkat toward the castle. As they drew near a crackle over his radio warned him a message was coming.

"Pastmaster is leaving on a dragon for the castle we left." Feral reported.

"Roger, nearly there." Razor acknowledged.

Pastmaster was grumbling to himself, 'How did those enforcers destroy my creatures. I made sure they didn't have any explosives or weapons of any kind.'

He made the dragon land at the doors and walked into an empty castle. His stone giant lay strewn across the floor and not a single Gargoyles could he find. His prisoners were gone as well. More annoyed than worried, Pastmaster snorted in disgust, climbed back aboard his dragon and went back to his tower.

While he was gone, Felina and Razor arrived at the Tower. They carefully snuck as close as they could and searched for any creatures Pastmaster was using as guards and were surprised to see none.

They were able to approach the door without interference and opened it cautiously. There was no one in the hall. They did hear voices, however, coming from a stairwell. They crept up it slowly. A huge stone giant was coming down the stairs before it had time to react both Felina and Razor blasted it. It sprayed over them and down the stairs in pieces. They waited tensely for more to come but it was quiet even the voices had stilled.

They continued on up the stairs. On the first landing they came to they discovered rooms with bars where many members of the city council and others were caged. They signaled for them to stay quiet and that they would be free soon.

They continued on up. On the next landing, a voice called out to them. They moved closer and saw Ann Gora, the Mayor, Johnny (Ann's camerakat), and Dr. Sinean. Ms. Briggs wasn't with them and Razor knew they would find her in the Pastmaster's room. He was unhappy to see Pastmaster had managed to find and take Dr. Sinean's group after all.

Giving them the same warning as the rest, he and Felina hurried up the last stairs to the top. Opening the door cautiously they found Ms. Briggs. She was chained to a bed in a corner.

Near the balcony door, a spell book was open on a pedestal near a table with other items of sorcery.

"Razor!" She cried in relief and tears.

"Ms. Briggs, we've got to hurry before Pastmaster gets back. Is this the book he used for his spell?" He asked urgently.

"Yes. It's open to the page. He's been gloating about how he finally succeeded and how I would become his Queen," she said angrily as Felina used a hand laser from Razor to get her chain off.

Razor looked around the room quickly. He grabbed the book, making sure to put something on the page so they could find it later. He put it out into the hall. Felina took Ms. Briggs out into the hall and stayed out of the way as Razor studied the interior to set up his booby trap.

"When he leaves here, which exit does he normally use, Ms. Briggs." Razor asked.

"He always goes by dragon so he steps out on the balcony," she said watching him in puzzlement.

Razor went to the balcony door and set his trip wire then turned toward a wall opposite to set the missile. When all was in readiness, they went back down the stairs a short ways to wait for the mage's return.

The Turbokat reached the Professor's place. They were unhappy to find it too had changed. They landed, searched and found Hackle barely surviving in the hovel that had once been his incredible lab. He was thrilled to see them. T-Bone left him some energy snacks and told him they would get things back to normal. He thanked them and both he and Feral quickly returned to the jet.

"Well, that was a bust." T-Bone said gloomily, "Let's hope Razor's plan succeeds."

"It's really all we have left. What I'm not looking forward to is fighting those dragons if they don't disappear with that ugly creep." Feral snarled equally unhappy.

"Ugh! Don't remind me!" T-Bone said in disgust.

They were soon high overhead the castle and Feral was focusing the x-ray device again to see what was going on. He spotted the Pastmaster just arriving back at his tower.

He was grumbling to himself when he stepped over the threshold and tripped the wire. The missile shot at him before he could react and a sticky tar like substance plastered him to the wall.

"It worked," Feral crowed from his seat.

T-Bone had cheered and wanted to take the jet back down but Feral warned him about the dragon. He grumbled at that but knew the big kat was right and they really didn't know if there were more than one around either so they waited.

"Yes!" Razor said as he and Felina walked into the room and saw a thoroughly covered Pastmaster squirming in the tarry stuff. His watch was covered in goo and his mouth was also so that he couldn't say any incantation. "Worked better than I'd hoped too."

Razor walked up to Pastmaster whose single eye widened in shock. The SWAT Kat pried the watch out of the goo and cleaned it off with a sheet nearby. Felina brought the book back and laid it on the pedestal.

"Okay, Ms. Briggs. Only you have any hope of making this work." Razor said handing her the watch then looked down at the book. He took a minute to read the thing and realized he couldn't. "Crud! It's in another language. Wait! Felina go get Dr. Sinean." He said suddenly.

She blinked then smiled as she realized why he needed Dr. Sinean and flew back down the stairs at a run. Arriving at the doctor's cell she signaled them back and blasted the door open. Making the rest go downstairs but stay inside because of the dragon, she took the doctor back up to the tower.

"Dr. Sinean, we need you to translate this for us." Razor told her as she walked into the room.

"Certainly, Razor. Is this the spell to turn things back to normal?" She asked as she began to study the writing.

"Well, we hope so but only you can tell us for sure." Razor said politely.

She nodded but didn't take her eyes off the book. "Yes, this will do it alright but how will you make it work? The watch is no good in an ordinary kat's paws." She asked.

"That's apparently where I come in, Abby. I'm apparently the descendent of Queen Callista and as such a possible user of magic, though its dormant. That's what the Pastmaster had said. So why don't you say the words and I'll hold the watch and repeat them after you?" She told her.

"Right! Repeat clearly and exactly Callie. Any mistake will get the wrong result." Abby warned. Callie nodded. Dr. Sinean began to intone slowly and Callie echoed her. They knew it was working because the watch began to glow. By the time the last word was spoken the light was blinding everyone in the room then nothing.

They stood there stunned for a moment until they realized city hall once more stood around them. Cheers could be heard everywhere...even outside.

"Yes, the dragon disappeared too!" Feral cheered.

"Great! Now we can go back down." T-Bone said decisively as he headed for the ground. He was soon landing in the street in front of the restored city hall. The Pastmaster was gone having been sent back by the spell as well.

Feral was relieved. He really didn't want the headache of trying to hold that slippery wizard in jail.

It would take some time to get the city back in order, take care of the sick and injured but nobody minded too much now that their city was back.

Sighing in relief, Feral asked, "Would you two please retrieve the stuff I got from the past and bring it to my office, please?"

"Sure thing, Commander. We'll just go run by the hangar and get it!" Razor said easily.

"I want to look over that book Lord Ferlin gave me." Feral said smiling with anticipation.

"Oh yeah! And you're supposed to see if you and he are really related and let us know." T-Bone said remembering the Queen's request.

"Right, I think I'll have Dr. Sinean look that up for me. She'd have better luck finding it than I." Feral agreed thoughtfully.

"Good idea. By the way, what happened to Professor Hackle?" Razor asked curiously.

"Oh, he was affected too, poor guy. He was in pretty bad condition. Maybe you should have someone go out and check on him, Commander?" T-Bone said in concern.

"You're right. I'll have a medical team go right out and see him." Feral agreed borrowing a cell phone from an officer nearby and making the call.

Callie, Dr. Sinean and Felina had been watching the three in amazement. They were talking to each other with respect, if not friendship, since they returned. It made the three females very curious to find out just what had happened to them in the past to make them give up their animosity for each other. Whatever it was, it could only mean less strife and better defenders for the city from now on.


End file.
